Brick-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

T. T. WOOD. BRICK MACHINE.

Pdtented Feb. 4, 1896.

AN DREW BJZRA 1AM. PHOTO-UNOYWASNINGIONDYC.

(No Model.) w 2 Sheet sSheet 2.

' T. T. WOOD.

BRICK MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS T. IVOOD, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,884, dated February4, 1896.

Application filed October 5, 1894. Serial No. 524,985. (No model.)

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS T. D, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. J oseph, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Machines;andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'theart to which it appertains to make and use the same. This inventionrelates to improvements, as hereinafter set forth, in brick-machines,the machine being interchangeable at will into either a hand or a poweroperated machine. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents aside elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 represents a section takenon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow inFig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, viewed inthe direction of the arrow, the gears employed when the machine isoperated by power instead of by hand being omitted in Figs. 2 and 3.Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent detail views. My improved machine isdesigned for the manufacture of sand or other brick, or bricks made fromdry clay, as may be desired. It is primarily intended for operation byhand, yet, as will hereinafter appear, adaptation is provided wherebythe operation of pressing or forming the bricks may be controlled byother than hand-power.

1 represents the frame on which the operative parts aresuitablysupported.

2 represents the mold-box within which the bricks are pressed or formed.This box is open at both top and bottom and is suitably bolted, as at a,or otherwise secured in position on the top of the frame.

3 represents the feed-box or hopper within which the clay, sand, orother material from which the bricks are to be made is contained. Thisbox or hopper is arranged to slide on rollers l on a ledge 5 to and fromthe moldbox and across the same, so as to supply the brick-formingmaterial to said mold-box.

6 represents a lever which is connected by suitable arms 7 to thefeed-box, whereby said feed-box may, on the raising of said lever (ifrom a horizontal to a perpendicular position, be slid along to and overthe mold-box, so as to supply the latter with the requisite amount ofbrick-forming material. When a sufficient amount of such material hasbeen supplied to said mold-box, the lever B is drawn down to ahorizontal position, which act draws back the feed-box and cuts off thesupply, said feed-box in its rearward movement across the mold-boxautomatically leveling the top of the brick-formin g material in themold-box in readiness for the pressing operation.

8 represents the upper presser or print block, which may have on itsunder face any desired design, or said under face may be plain,according to requirement.

9 is a hand-grasp, by means of which the presser or print block 8 andits supporting and actuating rods 10 may be drawn back to a vertical andoperative position at the proper time and drawn away from the mold-boxwhen the bricks are to be discharged.

11 represents the lower presser-block, which also operates as theejector of the bricks. With the under face of this lower presserblook isconnected the plunger 12, having at its lower end a bevel or inclinedplane 13, which is in contact with a roller 14, journaled in a ring 15,which is loosely mounted on the shaft 16 and has an inwardly-extendingseg ment-gear 17, for a purpose to be presently described.

18 represents a toothed rack formed on or attached to one side of theplunger 12, with which is engaged a segment-gear 19, journaled insuitable bearings on a shaft 17 in the frame and having connection withan operative lever or handle 20, by rocking which said segmentgear 19 iscaused to engage the rack 18 on the plunger and thereby either raisesaid plunger and lower presser-block after the pressing operation toeject the bricks, or else retract said plunger and lower presser-blockin readiness for another pressing operation.

21 represents the main operative lever, which normally is vertical. Itis either keyed or otherwise secured, as by a screw 0, to a shaft 22, towhich is removably secured by screw (1 a ring having a series of fourteeth 23, which engage with the teeth 24 of the segment 17. As thislever 21 is drawn down, either by hand, or as hereinafter stated, bypower, toward a horizontal position, the teeth 23 of the ring e on theshaft 22 are caused to engage the teeth 24 on the segment 17 and ICOrock said segment on its shaft 16, so as to cause the roller 14 totravel up the inclined plane or bevel 18 on the lower end of the plungerand thereby raise said plunger and the thereto-connected lowerpresser-block, so as to press the brick. This having been accomplished,the lever 21 is then moved additionally so as to turn the shaft 22 andrelease the teeth 23 thereon from engagement with the toothed segment17. It will be observed that the segment-gear 17 extends nearly from endto end of the machine. Consequently said gear has a long leverage fromthe shaft 16, which insures the perfection of the pressing operation.

The ends of the shaft 16 extend eccentrically, as shown at 25, from themain portion. These eccentrieally-extending portions 25 engage with theeyed lower ends 26 of the rods of the upper presser-block.

27 represents a segment-gear keyed or clamped, as at f, on the shaft 22,and whose three teeth 28 mesh with three teeth 2!) of the ring g,carried by and secured to the shaft 16 by screw 71 or other suitablemeans.

\Vhen the lever 21 has been operated to raise the plunger and lowerpresser-block to press the bricks, the additional movement of said leverin the same direction releases the teeth from mesh with the teeth 24, aspreviously stated, and rocks the segment 27 so as to bring the teeth 28thereon into operative engagement with the teeth 29 of the ring g,carried by the shaft 16, whereupon said shaft is turned so as to bringthe eccentrically-extending ends 25 of said shaft into operativeengagement with the eyed ends 26 of the rods 10, and consequently rockthe rods 10 on their pivots and force said rods and the theretoattachedupper presser-block 8 outward and away from the mold-box, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 3. The lever is then drawn down so as to bring theteeth of the segment gear 19 into operative engagement with the rack 18011 the plunger and thereby raise said plunger 12 and lowerpresser-block 11 to eject the bricks.

As above described, the machine, it will be seen, can be operatedentirely by hand in a very easy, ready, and expeditious manner. Themechanism is simple and of few parts and the necessarymovements are fewin numher. The reciprocation of the lever 6 reciprocates the feed-box toand from the moldbox and supplies and cuts off the brick-formingmaterial. The upper presser-block is then drawn to position. The lever21 is then drawn down to bring the teeth 23 into engagement with androck the segment 17,which causes the roller 14: to raise the plunger andlower presser-block. Then an additional pull on said lever 21 actu atesthe segment 27,which turns the shaft 16 so as to bring theeccentrically-extending ends of the shaft 16 into engagement with theupper portions of the eyed lower ends 26 of the rods 10, and therebyraise said rods and also raise the thereto-connected upper presser-bloekabove the mold-box. The operator then grasps the handgrasp 9 and drawsthe rods 10 and up per presser-block forwardly away from the mold-box,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. By the mechanism and operationdescribed, the upper presse'nblock being raised before being drawn fromthe mold-box, the injury to the design on or to the top of the bricks,resultant when the upper block slides across the same, is prevented.Then the lever 20 is thrown down, which act, by means of the segment 19and rack 18, raises the plunger12 and lower presser-block 11 to ejectthe bricks. The reverse of these movements, of course, prepares themachine for another pressing operation.

The machine can be very readily operated mainly by mechanical powerinstead of by hand-power by simply connecting the main operative lever21 bymeans of alink or strap 30 with a gear 31 j ournaled in the frame,which gear meshes with a pinion on the shaft 3% of a pulley or gear 33having band or other connection with a suitable source of power. \Vhenmechanical power is not available or, being available, it is not desiredto use it, said strap 30 can be readily disconnected from the lever 21.The gear 31, it will be noticed, has a blank space in its peripheryequal to the space of about three teeth. \Vhen in the rotation of thegears the pinion 32 reaches this point, the operation of the mechanismautomatically ceases su'liicientl y long to enable the ejected bricks tobe removed and the mold-box again filled.

Having thus described my invention,wh at I claim is 1. A brickmachine,consisting of a frame, a front and a rear power-shaft, each located inthe same plane and journaled in the frame, the front shaft havingeccentric ends, a main operative lever connected with the rear shaft,segmental-toothed gearing connecting said rear shaft and the frontshaft, a ring mounted on said latter shaft, a roller carried by saidring, a mold-box, a lower presser-block, a pitman connected with saidlower presserblock and having an inclined lower end to engage with saidroller, a toothed rack, segment and lever connected with and adapted toreciprocate said pitman, a vertically reciprocating and rockin g upperpresser-block, rods connecting said upper presser-block and theeccentric ends of the front shaft, areciprocating feed-box, gearingjournaled in said frame and having connection with a suitable source ofpower, and a strap removably connecting said power-gearing and the mainoperative lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a brick-machine, aframe, a mold-box, a shaft having eccentricextensions at its respective ends, an upper presser-block, rodsconnected with said block and depending therefrom and having eyedrocking eonnection at their lower ends with the eccentrically-extendingends of said shaft whereby as said shaft rocks said rods and upperpresserblock are alternately raised and lowered and may be rocked to andfrom the mold-box, a shaft, an operative lever mounted thereon andconnecting, oppositely-positioned segmental and toothed ring gearingmounted on said shafts, substantially as and for the purpose set-forth.

3. In abrick-machine,the combination with the mold-box of a lowerpresser-block, a pitman connected therewith and having a lower beveledend, a front shaft, a ring carried thereby, a roller journaled on saidring and adapted to engage the beveled lower end of said pitman, a rearshaft, parallel with the front shaft, a lever connected with said rearshaft, ring-gears mounted on said shafts and oppositelyextendingsegmental gears also mounted on said rear shaft and 011 therollercarrying ring on the front shaft, and engaging the ring-gears, anda brick-discharge consisting of a rack carried by said pitman, a toothedsegment having bearing in the frame and engaged with said rack and alever for actuating said segment, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

4. In abrick-machine,the combination with the mold-box of an upperpresser-block, depending rods connected therewith and having eyed lowerends, a lower presser-block, a pitman connected therewith and having abeveled lower end, a pair of parallel front and rear shafts, the frontshaft having eccentric end extensions on which the eyed lower ends ofsaid rods have rocking bearing and by means of which, as said shaftrocks, said rods are vertically reciprocated,,a ring carried by saidfront shaft, a roller journaled in said ring to engage the beveled endof the pitman, gearing connecting said shafts and consisting of aring-gear carried by the front shaft, and a forwardly-extendingsegmental gear carried by the rear shaft and engaging with the ring-gearon the front shaft, gearing connecting the rear shaft and theroller-carrying ring and consisting of a ring-gear carried by the rearshaft and a segmental gear mounted on the roller-carrying ring on thefront shaft, and a lever adapted to actuate said rear shaft,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A brick-machine, consisting of a frame, a pair of parallel shaftsjournaled therein, the front shaft having eooentrically-extending ends,intermeshing gears mounted on said shafts and ona ring carried by theforward shaft, and having teeth varying in number, a roller journaled insaid ring, a mold-box, a lower presser-block, a pitman dependingtherefrom and having a beveled lower end to contact with said roller, anupper presserblock, rods depending therefrom and having eyed lower endsengaging with and having rocking bearing on the eccentrically-extendingends of the forward of said shafts, sub stantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS l. WOOD.

\Vitnesses:

E. A. PAUL, CHAS. J. Gooon.

